Saturday 30 October 2010

100 per cent certified biodegradable and plastic-free nappy

After a long wait, a special delivery has being made - gNappies, the world’s first hybrid, and only 100 per cent certified biodegradable nappy has arrived in the UK

Launched at Baby Show, London on the 22nd-24th of October, gNappies offers the best of cloth and disposable in one earth-friendly nappy.

Thursday 28 October 2010

David Cameron visits Ice Energy

 
Ice Energy Technologies welcomed a return visit from Prime Minister David Cameron to their Oxfordshire headquarters.

The visit was well timed, being just over 24 hours after the confirmation of the “Renewable Heat Incentive” (RHI) in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Increase savings with energy saving technology

With the clocks due to go back this Sunday (31st October), the ECA offers householders practical steps to saving money and energy this winter with their Energy Saving Guide. These ideas, when combined, can save households £400 a year.

The ECA’s resident expert on energy saving, Head of Technical Services, Giuliano Digilio, says: “When it comes to energy saving, it’s the little things that can add up in the householder’s favour.

“When putting the clocks back this October think about taking a few simple and relatively inexpensive steps, which can be financially rewarding, particularly in the face of energy price hikes over the next few years. It’s a perfect opportunity to make relatively quick savings at this traditionally expensive time of year”, he said.

Follow the ECA’s four simple-steps to save £400:

Sunday 24 October 2010

Fall in Love with Eco this Christmas...

They're a romantic lot at Love Eco but proud of it. They go to great lengths to find the best in ethical and eco design and only stock things that, quite simply, they have fallen head over heals for.

They have a particular fondness for small producers who work hard to make things that will last, that can be treasured and that have a minimal impact on our vulnerable environment.

Now they've pulled together their 2010 Ethical Christmas Gift Guide to give you a taster of the wonderful array of gifts, interiors and clothing that they have available.

They have original, eco-friendly gift ideas for the whole family plus festive homewares and decorations and some great little stocking fillers.

And, finally, they couldn't possibly fit everything into this one publication so if you like what you see here, you'll definitely like their online store where you can find much much more. Visit them now at www.love-eco.co.uk

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Environmentally friendly matchmaking

PARSHIP goes green: PARSHIP, the leading online matchmaker in Germany and across Europe has migrated completely its IT infrastructure to a CO2-neutral solution: in September it received NTT Europe’s Carbon Neutral Hosting certification. This new hosting solution came about in the context of PARSHIP’s change of its service provider to NTT Europe. Beyond the primary benefits to the environment, the Hamburg-based online company expects to gain numerous advantages in terms of perception and commercial performance.

PARSHIP’s reduction in CO2 emissions was achieved through a new virtualisation concept. With the migration to a hosting solution at NTT for the PARSHIP services in Germany and 13 other countries, the energy efficiency could be sustainably improved while simultaneously reducing running costs. “We are estimating an energy saving of more than 50 % for each PARSHIP member,” says Dr Walter Sinowski, Chief Technology Officer of PARSHIP. “Beyond that, the server consolidation increases our flexibility. From now on, we won’t need to resort to additional hardware to provide extra capacity for peak times such as weekends. That means we are saving on energy – and costs.”

Tuesday 19 October 2010

GreenRoad Recognised in CleanTech 100 Awards

GreenRoad, the world’s leader in driver safety and efficiency, announced that it has been recognised for the second year in a row in the Cleantech 100 list published by The Guardian and the Cleantech Group. GreenRoad is one of six businesses to be recognised in the transportation section of this authoritative guide. GreenRoad was selected for its use of technology to improve the sustainability of fleets and reduce vehicle emissions.

The Cleantech 100 prides itself as a true representation of global innovation and private company creation. The judges evaluated over 4,000 nominations of independent, for-profit cleantech companies. Nominated firms were scored on three key criteria: their innovation, their market's size and growth, and the company's ability and resources to execute its technology.

Mecca Bingo leads the way to saving the planet

Leading the way in the Government initiative to cut carbon emissions, Meccabingo.com is now giving all customers the chance to claim a Water Widget and LIME Energy Saving Plug, absolutely FREE! The best news is that using these two products could save customers up to £100* on annual utility bills.

To receive the FREE energy saving devices, customers just need to visit Meccabingo.com and register their interest. They will then be sent directly to their homes within 28 days. The offer is one of each gadget per mainland GB household.

Sunday 17 October 2010

Nigel's Eco-Store expands

One of the UK’s leading eco-retailers has extended its range of products with the purchase of an on-line, eco-lifestyle store.

Award-winning www.nigelsecostore.com was founded in 2005, by Brighton-based eco-expert Nigel Berman, with the aim of selling eco-friendly products which are fun, functional and desirable to people in the UK and across Europe who want to reduce their carbon footprint.

The purchase of www.ecocentric.co.uk means the company can now offer more than 1,000 products including a wide range of stylish home accessories and gifts. There is also eco-lighting, green office supplies, eco gifts, storage jars, home glassware, eco toys, organic cotton bed linen, natural cosmetics and even an eco-wedding list.

Friday 15 October 2010

npower reveals Konnie Huq as green Marilyn Monroe

Konnie Huq in recycled newspaper dress
npower's successful green programme Climate Cops SOS has unveiled that Konnie Huq is to be its latest ambassador in a photo shoot recreating the iconic still from The Seven Year Itch.

Climate Cops SOS, now in its third year, is designed to motivate the UK's greenest teens into turning their passion for the environment into a positive campaign for their area.

Posing in a dress crafted entirely from pages of recycled newspapers, the Xtra Factor and former Blue Peter presenter gives environmental issues a real wow factor to inspire the 10 finalist schools to get creative with their own green projects.

Largest UK ferry "one of the most evironmentally friendly"

Stena Line owned Stena Britannica, the largest UK-registered ferry, has completed a successful first sailing out of British waters after its recent voyage from Harwich. The Stena Britannica, the British-flagged ferry with the largest dimensions in terms of both volume and length, left Harwich for a six-hour crossing to the Hook of Holland at 09.00 on 10th October 2010.

At just over 64.000 gross tonnage, the North Sea Superferry is larger than any other under the British flag, including Stena Line's own Stena Adventurer.

The Stena Britannica's maximum length is 240m which dwarves other British-registered ferries and is 2.4 times the height of the Big Ben clock tower.

Despite her size the ferry is also currently one of the most environmentally friendly operating out of the UK, thanks to catalytic converters; improved combustion engines; recycling systems for glass, cardboard and food and radiant heat-blocking solar film windows.

Wednesday 13 October 2010

New metal recycling facility

A licensed scrap metal recycling facility that can handle anything from individual deliveries of a few kilos to individual consignments of 50 metric tonnes will be opened by the Mayor of Darlington tomorrow (October 14th) as part of a strategic plan for North East England.

Councillor Bryan Thistlethwaite will be invited to open the new European Metal Recycling (EMR) site on Cleveland Trading Estate by severing a chain with metal cutters instead of performing the conventional ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Mayor will then be invited to step into a brand new on-site crane and handle the first consignment of scrap into the new site on Forge Way, and will see the start of the process and the end product – the recycled
material.

The Mayor said: “It is excellent that this facility has come to Darlington. It will help both residents and businesses recycle their waste and not only get financial reward for doing so but also help save the environment. I wish this company every success”

Research Shows 40% Environmental Savings for Big Business

New research from the University of Liverpool’s Engineering Department has discovered that heating power savings of over 40% can be achieved in a heated warehouse with the use of high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans.

HVLS fans are a new generation of very large, ceiling mounted multibladed de-stratification fans, of up to 7.3 metres in diameter, that move slowly, using minimal power.

Monday 11 October 2010

Wind turbine expansion for Zephyr Corporation

Zephyr Corporation today announced new partners in Turkey and India along with the expansion of its telecom executive team. The move comes in response to increased demand and interest in its wind turbines from operators around the world as a result of rising diesel prices, steady reductions in the power requirements of base stations and increased pressure for greener technology.

Last week Zephyr Corporation’s wind turbines were shortlisted at the annual AfricaCom awards - the most prestigious of their kind - in the Telecom Innovation of the Year category.

Sunday 10 October 2010

Ireland's eco-friendly graveyard

The Irish Times is reporting the popularity of a new eco-friendly cemetery.

The Woodbrook Natural Burial Ground is located in a remote spot near the Blackstairs Mountains between the villages of Kiltealy and Killanne in Co Wexford.

At an “open day” on Saturday, visitors toured the new burial ground. It offers an alternative to traditional cemeteries for people of all religions and none, who want to be buried in a graveyard which doubles as a wildlife haven.

Headstones and plastic wreaths are banned, there are “no manicured lawns”. Graves will be marked by the planting of a tree and a simple, optional stone or wooden marker, said Colin McAteer, owner of the Green Graveyard Company.

Eco-friendly packaging at Natural Products Expo East

E-commerce businesses and fulfillment centers that ship natural health, beauty and food products will have the opportunity to see innovative green packaging materials that replace plastic materials such as bubble packaging at the Natural Products Expo East in Boston on Oct 14-16.

Geami, a green packaging innovator, will be hosting a hands-on display of their paper-based biodegradable packaging and cushioning wrap located in booth #2888 of the exhibition hall. The company’s Ready-to-use-roll will also be featured in the Product Showcase at the Expo.

Saturday 9 October 2010

Terrific new bamboo flooring site

Bamboo flooring is becoming a increasingly popular 'green'choice for environmentally-conscious homeowners and business owners. A new website is promising eco-minded individuals help in researching green BamStrand® and BamLoc® flooring options. Mr. Bamboo, Inc. announces their newly redesigned and expanded website located at www.mrbambooflooring.com

'All bamboo flooring is not the same. People can make mistakes in choosing the wrong type of bamboo flooring. For example, the age of the bamboo when harvested makes a difference. Low quality flooring uses three-year-old bamboo, which is soft and scratches easily.' said Steven Wang, President of Mr. Bamboo, Inc. 'It's a poor choice for homes with dogs or commercial applications. Our bamboo flooring is harvested at 5 or 6 years, then strand woven to increase hardness,' he continued. This is just one of many useful tips environmentally- conscious visitors will find on the new website.

Friday 8 October 2010

Eco-friendly advertising?

This ad for a Mini Countryman was reported on wuv.de back in August, but seems to have only recently been picked up by English-language blogs. While the Mini isn't the most eco-friendly method of transport, at least this beats twenty-foot high neon letters - and generates more publicity.

h/t Inhabitat



Thursday 7 October 2010

Top 10 eco-friendly products

The sust-it website ranks over 6,500 household electrical goods, from Tumble Dryers to Computers, by their running costs and energy usage. This makes it well placed to reveal the UK's most energy efficient appliances and electricals that were available in 2010.

Top ranking household electrical products in 2010:

1/ Washing Machines – Panasonic NA-168VG2
2/ Tumble Dryers – Siemens WT46W566
3/ Wash Dryers – Hoover HDB854D
4/ Larder Fridges (Medium sized) – Siemens KI25RP60
5/ Chest Freezers (Medium sized) – Liebherr GTP2356
6/ Fridge Freezers (Medium sized) – Gorenje RF60309O
7/ Television 40 inch – Sharp LC-40LE821E
8/ Satellite Set-Top Box HD – Grundig GUFSDTR500HD
9/ Blu-ray / HD-DVD Players – Samsung BD-P4600
10/ Desktop Computer – Apple Mac mini (MC270LL)

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Eco-friendly bag ditched after "noisy" complaint

This is ridiculous. Frito-Lay, who manufacture Sun Chips, have gone back to a non-biodegradable bag after consumers said that the new compostable bag was too noisy. In fairness, Frito-Lay are committed to using compostable bags, but it just seems crazy that people who eat these snacks would rather have a quiet bag that damages the environment than a noisy one that will go back to nature.

How noisy can a bag be, anyway?